Arrest of Punjab CM’s nephew not politically motivated: Shekhawat

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat denied allegations that arrest of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew by the ED was politically motivated

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election in-charge in Punjab, on Saturday denied the allegations that arrest of chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew by the enforcement directorate was politically motivated.

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the arrest was being made a political issue as a “face saver” by the Congress. (HT Photo)

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, the BJP leader said that Bhupinder Singh Honey’s arrest was being made a political issue as a “face saver” by the Congress. “The Congress has alleged that the arrests have been made because of the elections in Punjab, but what about over ₹10 crore recovered in cash (during ED raids at Honey’s properties)?” he said, adding that allegations about Channi’s involvement in illegal sand mining were not being made for the first time.

Bhupinder Singh Honey was arrested by the ED on Friday, following raids conducted in Mohali last month. The raids were conducted in a money laundering case related to an illegal sand mining case registered earlier in Punjab.

Meanwhile, talking about Punjab elections, the Union minister remained non-committal on announcing the BJP’s chief ministerial face.

“When we made the government in Uttar Pradesh, nobody had expected Yogi Adityanath to be the CM. In Haryana, too, the appointment of Manohar Lal Khattar was not something many had anticipated. So it is our practice to decide on the CM face later,” he said, when asked whether the party’s ally Captain Amarinder Singh will be the CM face.